Magazine safety razor



April 28, 1942. J, MUROS 2,281,201

MAGAZ INE SAFETY RAZOR Filed Nov. 3, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet l "hun www5v5/Sim @ML2 /6 47 /4 TWA OL] ATTO R N EY Apm 2s, 1942. 1 MUROS2,281,201

MAGAZ INE SAFETY RAZOR Filed Nov. 5, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR AORNEY ?atented pr. 28, 1942 MAGAZINE SAFETY RAZOR Joseph Muros,Cambridge, Mass., assignor to Gillette Safety Razor Company, Boston,Mass., a corporation of Delaware Application November 3, 1939, SerialNo. 302,693

23 Claims.

This invention relates to safety razors of the type which is organizedto receive fresh sharp blades one by one as delivered from a magazinesource of supply. In one aspect the invention comprises a novelcombination of safety razor and magazine in which the razor is organizedto receive blades directly by endwise movement from the magazinewhereupon the magazine may be removed, relinquishing the blade alreadydelivered to the razor and carrying away those blades remaining therein.In another aspect the invention consists in a novel magazine mechanismfor safety razor blades adapted to be used in the combination describedand for dispensing blades to the consumer.

The extreme thinness of safety razor blades and the fragile character oftheir shaving edges makes these blades difllcult to handle and to locateready for shaving in the razor without danger of cutting the user or ofimpairing the keen shaving edge of the blade by contact with the razoror the blade packing. As herein shown the magazine of my invention isshaped to contain a plurality of blades in a stack or pack, maintainingtheir cutting edges out of contact with all parts of the magazine andexposing only a portion of the outermost blade in the pack. The razor onits part is equipped with a blade carrier designed to receive a bladefrom the magazine in one position and to locate it properly in adifferent position for shaving when once the blade is delivered.

An important feature of my invention consists in a novel magazine holderarranged to be detachably connected to the razor when it is desired toreplace a used blade in the razor or supply a new one thereto and to bedisconnected and removed from the razor during the shaving operation. Asherein shown the magazine holder and razor are equipped withco-operating and interiitting members which serve to connect the twopositively against longitudinal separation or separation in thedirection of magazine movement. but which leave the two free to bereadily detached by relative transverse movement, that is to say,movement transverse to the direction of blade delivery.

I have found a particularly compact and convenient'construction may berealized by arrang- .ing the delivery of blades from the magazine to.

the razor to be effected in two steps rather than a single step. Inaccordance with an important feature of my invention I utilize movementof the magazine itself in the magazine holder to that is to say, theblade may be ejected halfway from the magazine in one movement thereofand fully ejected by a second similar movement of the magazine.

The construction of my magazine mechanism obviates the difficulty ofjamming heretofore encountered in safety razors ofthe magazine type andinsures against the delivery from the magazine of a blade until theprevious blade has been fully ejected and introduced into the razor.

Another important feature of my invention consists in the combination ofa safety razor having a movable blade carrier with a magazine holderhaving means for properly aligning the carrier of the razor with thepath of the blade delivered from the magazine. For convenience myinvention will be disclosed in connection with a razor having apivotally mounted blade carrier movable into upright blade-receivingposition. For use with such a razor the magazine holder has means foraccurately positioning the blade carrier of the razor in uprightposition, but will be understood that the blade may be delivered to acarrier in any position where it is convenient to unclamp the blade fromits fixed shaving position.

These and other features of the invention will be best understood andappreciated from the following description of a preferred embodimentthereof, selected for purposes of illustration and shown in theaccompanying drawings, ingwhich:

Fig. l is a side view on an enlarged scale of the safety razor head; l

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the razor head with the magazine operativelyassociated therewith;

Fig. 3 is a front view on a true-sized scale of the razor and magazineholder showing the magazine in position at the end of its ejectingmovement: f

Fig. 4 is a similar view showing the magazine at the beginning of itsintermediate stroke;

Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the lmagazine in position at the end ofits intermediate stroke;

Fig. 6 is a similar view showing the magazine in position at the end ofits intermediatestroke:

Fig. 'I is a similar view showing the magazine again in position at theend of its ejecting stroke;

Fig. 8 is a view in front elevation of the magazine holder separate fromthesafety razor;

Fig. 9 is a corresponding view of the magazine holder from above; y

Fig. 10 is a plan view showing the magazine in the magazine holder; c f

Fig. 1l is a view of the magazine alone as seen eject successive bladesby repeated movement, from one side;

seen from on applications of Henry J. Gaisman to which,

reference may be had for a more detailed disclosure of the stroppinsmechanism, the latter being omitted from the drawings herein to avoidunnecessary confusion.

'Ihe razor as shown in Figs. l-7 is designed to take a flat single-edgedblade 25 of the type shown in Figs. 6 and 7, that is to say, arectangular blade having curved Vrecesses in its ends, a longitudinalgroove 26 in one face and perforations in the shape of the letters ofthe word VALET. The razor comprises a handle II carrying at its upperend a sheet metal head II provided with opstanding arms or standards I2at each side. .Iournaled between the arms I2 are the strop-engagingroller I3, having a small pinion Il on its outer end, and a tubularsleeve I5 which is a part of the blade carrier and is provided at itsouter end with a pinion I6 meshing with the pinion of the strop-engagingroll I 3. The blade carrier comprises a pair of thin spring plates I'Iwhich are attached to or formed integral with the sleeve I5. The platesI1 are at all times urged toward each other and are adapted to engage ablade inserted between them with firm frictional contact. The uppermostplate llas shown in Fig. 1 is provided with an inwardly projecting rib23 -in its free end and this rib is shaped to engage the correspondinglongitudinal groove 26 provided for that purpose in one face of theblade 25.

In a blade carrier of the character above described blades may beinserted endwise between the plates II. 'I'hey are guided in a straightline path by co-operation of the rib 23 of the carrier with the groove26 of the blade and the blade is at all times positively held againstoutward movement in the blade carrier. The blade is thus retained in thecarrier during the bladestropping operation when the blade would beotherwise free for outward movement.

'I'he razor head II is provided with a pair of down-turned lugs Il ateither side and between these lugs is journaled a pivot I9 carrying aguard member provided at its forward edge with guard teeth 22 and ateach forward corner with a blade-engaging hook 2i. The rear portion ofthe guard member 2l is slotted so that the handle III passes freelythrough it and is extended rearwardly so the operator may convenientlyrock it up and down to clamp the blade 25 in shaving position as shownin Fig. 1 or to disengage the blade as shown in Fig. 2. During theshaving operation the guard is. maintained in blade-clamping position asshown in Fig. 1 while for stropping or for the replacement of one bladefor another the guard member is swung downwardly into position shown inFig. 2, thus-leaving the blade carrier free to be located inbladeejecting position or to oscillate about the axis of the sleeve I5in the strapping operation.

The magazine holder as herein illustrated comprises an elongatedchannelled-shaped member Il closed at one end by a plate II and having75' Vend of the intermediate stroke of at its other end a pair of spacedblocks 32 and 33 in which is formed a vertical undercut guldeway J4shaped to slide upon the right-hand arm or standard I 2 of, the safetyrazor. The lower wall of the magazine holder is thickened and widened asbest shown in Figs. 8 and 9 to provide the blocks 32 and 33 and toprovide adequate length for the undercut guideway 34 so that it mayreceive substantially the whole length of the standard I2 of the safetyrazor, thus forming a positive connection therewith in a longitudinaldirection so that in the electing movement of the magazine there is nopossibility of separating the magazine holder and safety razor. On theother hand, the magazine holder may be operatively connected to thesafety razor by relative movement in a downward vertical direction, withthe parts held as represented in the drawings,

.and conveniently detached from the razor by upward movement in whichthe blocks I2 and 3l are moved upwardly or endwise in respect to Theblock 23 is provided with a stationary but adjustable gauge pin )l whichprojects slightly into the guideway 3l and serves positively andaccurately to determine the blade-receiving and electing position of theblade carrier by engaging the rearmost plate I'| thereof. Located in theblock 22 is a co-operating spring plunger It which is arranged to engagethe opposite face of the blade carrier, or of a blade therein, and holdthe carrier yieldingly in contact with the end of the adjustable gaugepin Il. lIhe gauge pin and plunger also co-operate to direct a bladeejected from the magazine in the guideway of theholder accurately intothe blade carrier of the razor.

'Ihe side walls of the holder are provided the standard I2 of the razor.

guideway in the magazine at their inner ends with short overhangingllanges 41 for slidably retaining the magazine in the guideway. In thebed of the guideway Il is provided a central longitudinal rib 29 and astop pin II having a bevelled end adapted to enter the circular holdingperforation 21 of a blade when the blade is moved endwise intoregistration with it. Also provided in the bed of the magazine holder isa spring 2l having a pair of branches in which are setstop pins 3U.These are located near the opposite edges ofthe rib 2! and serve toengage and hold a blade in position and against retraction at the themagazine, as suggested in Fig. 6 and as will be presently explained.

'I'he magazine Il herein shown is constructed of sheet metal inrectangular form. Its bottom wall comprises a pair of spaced flanges 4Iand its end wall 43, which is disposed in advance in the carrier, isprovided with an angular spring dog u shaped to engage a straighttransverse perforation in the body of the blade, for example thatprovided by the upright portion 2l of the letter L cut into'the body ofthe blade. The front wall of the magazine is provided on its inner facewith a pair of guides ll and shaped to nt into the end recess of theblades in the stack present in the magazine and maintain the sharp edgesof the blades out of contact with the upper wall of the magazine. 'I'hemagazine is also provided with a spring Il tending at all times to pushthe stack of blades in the magazine downwardly so that the outermostblade of the stack Is limited in its position by engagement with thespaced flanges II of the magazine.

The magazine holder is normally detached vvrazor by 'laf sharp bladefrom from the safety razor as suggested in Fig. 1 and the latter iscomplete in itself and may be used with a stroppi'ng mechanism orwithout in acconfiancewithy the preference of the shaver. whenit-isdesired tore'placea used blade in the the magazine, the guard plateZfis swung 'downwardly at its outer end, releasingfthe vedgef'of theblade from the blade' clamping hooks*2\l. As suggested in Fig. 2

the blade car'rieris thenm'oved into substantially vertical position andthe magazine holder operatively connectedto the razor by passing theinner end of the blade carrier into the space between the gauge pin 35and the spring plunger 36 and then slipping the guideway 3l of theholder down upon the arm or standard I2 of the razor. This movement isarrested by contact of the bottom of the blocks 32 and 33 with the uppersurface of the head I I, the blade carrier being meanwhile alignedwlthlthe outer surface of the rib 29 of the magazine holder.

The magazine 40 containing a stack of ten or twelve blades 25, as shownin Fig. 13. is then placed in the guideway of the magazine holder andmoved in its guideway into its forward position adjacent to the safetyrazor, in which position the spring dog 44 just touches the blade 25already in the razor. Further movement of the magazine in this directionis positively arrested by its contact with the block 32 while its spacedanges 4I straddle the rib 29 in the bottom of the magazine holder,bringing the face of the outermost blade in the stack into contact withthe face of the rib 29. Assuming now that it is desired to replace theblade which occupies the blade carrier as in Fig. 3, the magazine is rstmoved toward the right, or away from the razor. In this operation theoutermost or lower blade inthe magazine is engaged by the stop pin 31 inthe rib 29 of themagazine holder and is held stationary againstretrograde movement, being drawn out of the exit end of the magazinewhile the latter completes its movement toward the right. In thismovement the spring dog M is moved until it registers with the edge ofthe feeding perforation provided in the blade by the letter L, clickingacross the other perforations. The blade is meanwhile positioned withits sharp edge lout of contact with the wall of the magazine holder byits engagement with the stop pin 31 and by the engagement of the rib 42of the magazine with the groove 26 in the face of the blade. Fig. 4represents the various parts in their position at this point of thecycle.

The magazine 40 is now moved vtoward the left in what we may term itssecond or intermediate stroke and in this movement the new blade isadvanced by the dog 44 from the stop pin 31 and inserted into the rightend of the blade carrier. The stop pin 31 has a bevelled end surfacepermitting the blade to move forwardly or to the left but positivelypreventing it from moving to the right or in a retrograde manner. Inthis intermediate stroke of the magazine the new blade is carried halfway into the blade carrier forcing the old blade ahead of it and halfejecting it from the blade carrier and being itself registered with theblade carrier by the gauge pin 35 in the holder. The parts arerepresented in Fig. 5 as located at this point in the cycle.

The magazine 40 is then moved again to the right as shown in Fig. 6leaving the new blade inserted half-way into the blade carrier and heldagainst retracting movement by the stop pins 39 of the spring 38. Inthis movement the dog Il which formerly engaged the aperture provided bythe letter L in the blade is moved to the right beyond the rearmost edgeof the blade, clicking over the remaining perlorations of the blade. Themagazine is ilnally moved toward the left in its electing stroke. Inthis movement the dog 44 passes between the two stops 39 into contactwith the rear edge of the new blade and forces it forwardly into shavingposition in the carrier meanwhile completely ejecting the old blade assuggested in Fig. '1.

As before intimated the nal position of the magazine in its ejectingstroke is positively limited by engagement of the magazine with a fixedblock 32 of the holder and this is so located as to register the newblade accurately in the endwise position in the blade carrier. Themagazine holder may now be disengaged from the razor by merely slippingit upwardly oif the standard I2, the blade carrier may be swungdownwardly into shaving position and the blade may then be clamped inthat position by rocking the guard member 2li upwardly into the positionshown in Fig. l, whereupon the shaver may proceed, using the new bladewhich has been introduced into the razor without touching or dulling itskeen shaving edge.

The magazine holder is, of course, detached from the razor beforeshaving. The magazine 40 is frictionally engaged by the walls of theguideway in the holder at all times. It is positively held in theguideway when it is advanced beneath the ribs 41 at the inner end of theguideway, but may be freely inserted in or removed from the guidewaywhen it is positioned in the outer end thereof, as shown for example inFig. 4. It is contemplated that the magazine may be used as a containerin which the blades are packaged for distribution to the consumer.

It will be noted that the guideway in the holder 4D is in lengthsubstantially one and one-half times the width of the safety razor andthat the stroke of the magazine itself in the guideway is in lengthabout one-half the width of the razor, or one-half the length of ablade. The blade is drawn from the magazine and half uncovered by theinitial movement of the magazine away from the razor, and issubsequently advanced toward and into the razor in two distinctmovements. One advantage of this procedure is that the blade ispartially retained and fully controlled in its position in the guidewayby the magazine at all times until the blade is inserted in the bladecarrier. It is not at any time left loosely in the guideway and hastherefore no opportunity to become misplaced.

While my invention has been disclosed as embodied in magazine mechanismadapted for use with a stropping type of safety razor, it will beunderstood that the particular razor selected is for purposes ofillustration only and that with appropriate modification of themechanism it could be adapted for `use with safety razors of certainnon-stropping types. Although in the illustrated construction the bladeis presented to the blade carrier of the razor while the latter occupiesan upright position, revolved somewhat more than from its normal shavingposition, it would be within the scope of the invention to present theblade at any desired or convenient angle, for example. in the angularposition determined by a blade carrier which Is stationary or movableonly slightly from its normal shaving position.

The blade herein selected in illustrating one speciiic embodiment of theinventio'n has perforations in the shape of the letters of the wordVALET and a circular perforationzl, but it will be understood that theonly perforations having a mechanical function in the combinationdescribed are the circular perforation 21, for receiving the pin 31, andthe vertical portion of the letter L, for receiving the dog 4I. Itfollows that any blade of suitable contour having these two properlyspaced perforations would answer all therequirements of my invention.

Y, The invention is herein shown as embodied in a safety razor in whichthe movable spring plates I1 constitute the blade carrier, but it may beequally well embodied in a safety razor having a stationary bladecarrier or seat, or one in which the blade carrier comprisesco-operating guard and cap members.- AccordinglyI the term blade carrieris used herein in a broad sense to mean any razor elements designed tocarry or hold the blade in predetermined position in the safety razor.The term iiatwise, used herein to characterize the movement of theblade. means movement of the blade in its own plane.

It will be seen from the foregoing suggestions that many departures inproportion, arrangement and design of parts may be made from theillustrated construction, all.within the scope of my invention asdefined in the accompanying claims, viz.:

l. A safety razor having a blade carrier, in combination with a magazineholder having guides retaining a blade magazine movable back and forthin the holder to deliver a blade to the carrier, and interiltting partson the razor and 4holder respectively for detachably and positivelyconnecting the razor and holder against separation in the direction ofmagazine movement.

2. A safety razor having a blade carrier land a transversely extendingarm, in combination with a holder'having a longitudinal guideway for amagazine and a transverse guideway shaped to receive the arm of therazor and positively connect the razor and the holder against separationin a longitudinal direction.

3. A safety razor having a blade seat, in combination with a holderhaving a guideway for a blade magazine longitudinally movable therein,and means for positively connecting the razor and holder againstdisplacement in longitudinal direction while at all times permittingdisengagement by relative transverse movement.

4. Blade feeding mechanism for safety razors, comprising a magazineholder having therein razor-engaging elements and a guideway providedwith a projecting longitudinal rib, and a blade magazine movable in theholder and having flanges spaced to ilt said rib, and a spring to pressblades in the magazine toward and into contact with said rib between theflanges of the magazine.

5. A safety razor having a blade carrier, in combination with a holderdetachably connected to the razor. located at one side of the bladecarrier and having a guideway therein, a blade stop l in said guideway,and a magazine of blades movable in said guideway with respect to saidblade stop. y

6. A safety razor having a blade seat. in combination with a holderdetachably connected to the razor and having a guideway therein,co-operating means in the razor and holder for registering the guidewaywith respect.to the blade to deliver a blade upon the blade seat whilethe guideway is so registered.

7. A safety razor having a pivotally mounted blade carrier therein, aholder detachably connected to the razor and provided with a magazineguideway and means as a part of the holder for registering the bladecarrier of the razor with the guideway of the holder, and a magazineslidable in said guideway.

8. A safety razor having a blade carrier movable therein from shavingposition to blade-receiving position, in combination with a magazinerier in two complete seat, and a magazine movable in said guidewayconnected thereto ble blade carrier, means stops at two dierent holderattached to the razor and having a guideway and a blade magazine movabletherein for delivering blades in a 'predetermined position, and means asa part of the holder for registering the blade carrier of the razor withthe guideway of the holder,

9. A safety razor having a swinging blade carrier and means for clampingsaid carrier with a blade in shaving position, in combination with amagazine holder attached to the razor and having` guiding means, amagazine movable therein, and means for detachably co the razor andholder independently of said carrier clamping means.

10. A safety razor having a blade carrier. in combination with amagazine holder detachably and having a guideway, a movable magazinetherein, and co-operating stops for determining the position of theblade carrier, said stops being locatedv on opposite sides of the pathof blades supplied to the blade carrier by the magazine in saidguideway.

ll. A safety razor having a blade carrier, in combination with amagazine holder having a guideway, a magazine slidable in the guidewayin a path limited to less than the length of said blade-carrier andhaving a blade-engaging dog. and stop in the guideway, whereby a singleblade is delivered from the magazine to the blade carreciprocations ofthe magazine in said guideway.

l2. A safety razor having an angularly movain the razor for clamping thecarrier with a blade in shaving position, a magazine holder detachablyconnected to the razor, means in the holder for clamping the bladecarrier in a different angular position to receive a blade, and means inthe holder for delivering a blade to the carrier while so clamped insuch blade-receiving position.

13. Feeding mechanism for a safety razorV comprising a holder having aguideway, an apertured magazine movable inthe guideway to and from therazor with a blade in sliding contact with a part of said guideway, astop in the guldeway for preventing retrograde movement of said blade,and means associated with the magazine for advancing the blade from saidstop.

14. Feeding mechanism for a safety razor, comprising a holder having aguideway, an apertured magazine movable in the guideway with a blade insliding contact therewith, and blade positions in the length of theguideway for preventing retrograde movement of the blade during twosuccessive strokes of the magazine.

l5. Feeding mechanism for comprising a holder having a guideway. a blademagazine slidable in the guideway and having an exit end and an openlongitudinal slot giving access to the outermost blade containedtherein, spaced stops in the guideway for eng aging laid outermost bladeat different points in its length,

a safety razor,

and a blade-feeding member carried by the magazine.

16. In feeding mechanism for a safety razor, in combination with aholder having a guideway. an apertured blade magazine arranged forreciprocation in the guideway and containing a stack of perforatedblades with the outermost blade exposed, a stop in the. guideway forengaging a perforation in the blade to hold it at the exit end of theguideway, a second stop in the guideway for holding the blade in a halfejected position, and blade feeding means associated with the magazinefor engaging a perforation of the blade in one stroke and the rear endof the blade in anotherstroke. p

17. Blade-feedingA mechanism for a safety razor comprising a. holderhaving a guideway, a blade magazine movable in the guideway, means forholding a blade' from the magazine at rest in the guideway when themagazine is moved away from thel safety razor, and means for advancingsaid bladehalf its-length inI each of two succesrib, and a feed devicefor advancing a blade in contact with said rib and inserting it intosaid blade carrier while the blade carrier is thus registered with saidribs.

21. A. detachable magazine mechanism for a safety razor, containing astack of blades supported with the outermost blade of the stack alignedlongitudinally with a blade in the safety razor, said mechanismincluding blade feeding means limited to movement in a path less thanthe length of a blade in the stack and movable to engage and advancetoward and into the razor the said outermost blade twice in twosuccessive strokes, and a blade stop for holding said blade in midposition against retraction between said strokes.

22. Detachable magazine mechanism for -a safety razor, containing astack of unwrapped sive movements of the magazine toward the razor. l

I from a position determined byfthelsaid: holding movable in-saidguideway andhaving a walll slotted to fit upon said rib.

20. A safety razor having supporting arms, a blade carrier iournaledbetween said arms, and blade clamping means, in combination with aI'detachably connected holder having a guideway shaped to receive one ofthe supporting arms of the razor, a longitudinal magazine.guidewayhaving a rib and blade stops, and means for registering the bladecarrier of the razor with the rib of the holder. a magazine movable insaid latter guideway and having flanges spaced to ilt said blades eachwith separate and spaced holding and feeding perforations therein, saidmechanism including a guideway having a blade-holding stop shaped toenter said holding perforation and prevent retraction of a blade, and amovable feeding dog shaped to enter the feeding perforation ofthebiadeand limited in its movement to a path for advancing thebladetoward and into the razor by only one-halfthe: length 4vof theblade stops 1 A 23. Magazine mechanism =for a safetyv razor. containinga stack of unwrapped blades, each blade having a feeding perforationlocatedlsubl stantially midway between its edges in the direction offeeding movement, said mechanism including means for guiding ablade-ilat-wiseinto the razor, and a movable feed dog shaped -to enter lthe feeding perforation of 4the blade and limited in its stroke to apath for advancingthe blade toward and into the razor from an initialposition outside the razor by only one-half the distance to the finalshaving position of the blade in the razor.

, JOSEPH MUROS.

